


Waltzing on Eggshells

by revancequeen



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Canon, Cute, Friendship, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, One Shot, Platonic Relationships, Short, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-05-13 12:13:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14748647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/revancequeen/pseuds/revancequeen
Summary: A taciturn, withdrawn Robin is reluctant to socialize with the Shepherds who recently took her under their wing, much less try to make friends. Their commander, Chrom, holds no such qualms towards her.





	Waltzing on Eggshells

“Hey, what are you doing all the way over here?”

Robin jumped and looked up from the strategy book lying open on her lap. Chrom was standing before her with a hand on his hip and an open smile, having left the Shepherds to join her. She was seated some distance from the lake they had set up camp by when they’d stopped their march for the night. Instead of chatting and eating by the fire casting glitter over the water, she was hunched over beneath a tree, memorizing tactics.

“Isn’t it hard to read over here in the dark?” He moved to sit down beside her, squinting at the book, but she automatically tilted it away with a grimace.

“Oh, sorry.” He moved back sheepishly. “Is it private or something?”

She ducked her head. “Not especially. I just don’t like it when people read over my shoulder without my permission.”

He shrugged. “Fair enough. But seriously, you should come join us.” He pointed to the lively gathering around the campfire. “Stahl’s just started this hilarious story about the time he—“

“With all due respect, Your Grace, I think I’ll decline. I have much studying to do if I hope to become the kind of tactician that can continue leading your troops to victory.”

Chrom looked confused as she rebuffed him calmly. “You think so? But you’ve already proven your skill time and time again. Even the greatest of tacticians have to take breaks sometime, you know. It’s good for your mind and body to rest and kick back a little.”

Robin frowned at him. “If I ‘kick back’ like you, then what will happen if someone dies in the next battle due to my negligence?”

“I appreciate that you’re thinking about us, but you can’t take that all on your shoulders alone,” he said, looking put out. “There are lots of things that could happen, and sometimes you just don’t know what action to take until they do. Besides, building up bonds and trust in an army is also—”

“But I’m your tactician, Your Grace. You’re not just the leader of a band of vigilantes—You’re the Prince of Ylisse, and much rides on your shoulders. In light of that, the consequences of defeat would be quite severe for me, wouldn’t they? Everyone has a part to play in this army. I’m just doing mine.”

She lifted her book closer to her face, radiating _‘this conversation is over’_ in waves. But Chrom didn’t go away.

“Huh. That’s rough,” he said in a low voice. She couldn’t help noticing how quiet he sounded; it was a far cry from his usual bold confidence.

The hands holding her book drifted down, and words slipped out of her unbidden:

“What is?”

“Thinking like that… Maybe I’m to blame. I agree with you, your job in this army _is_ vitally important, but you’re not solely responsible for our victories or failures. Part of that also hinges on me, as the Captain and leader of everyone here.”

“But—“

Then she realized that Chrom wasn’t looking at her anymore. His head was still turned towards her, yes, but somehow he wasn’t seeing her. He was looking through her, beyond her… whether to the past or future she couldn’t say. The look on his face gave her pause.

_I thought he was an open book, but I suppose even overly-trusting people like him have their troubles._

“I know what it’s like to feel like you can’t make a mistake,” he went on, still speaking quietly. “I’m not saying I know what it’s like to be in your shoes, not completely. And I don’t expect you to try to see from my point of view, either. We each have our own burdens to bear.”

She wasn’t even looking at where her book now lay open on her lap.

And finally, he saw _her_ again, gazing directly into her eyes. Robin wasn’t used to being looked at like that—like she was there and real and important. She finally turned and stared down at her book, no longer really comprehending what the words meant. Was that a formation for cavalry or fliers? And did it even matter anymore in this moment?

Chrom laid a hand on her shoulder, and she looked back at him reflexively. This was also new and unexpected—the warmth of another person’s hand. Had she known _this_ before? It was impossible for her to say, and pointless to ask. Before waking up in that field, she remembered nothing.

In the gathering gloom of twilight, his touch was comforting. A steady, solid weight, grounding her to where she was supposed to be. She couldn’t put a name to _why_ it comforted her, not exactly, not yet. But maybe if she stayed here, with the Shepherds and him, then maybe someday the reason would come to her.

“What I’m trying to say is,” he went on, “you don’t need to take on everything by yourself.” The shadow in his eyes was gone now, as was the contemplative tone in his voice. He was strong again; a guiding light as he always was for his army.

“There are some things that only you or I can handle, and that’s just the way of it sometimes. But other times, it’s okay to rely on each other. We’re the Shepherds, after all, not some rag-tag mercenary band. That means we always have each others’ backs.”

His eyes flashed with pride now, and there was an almost arrogant tilt to his head. The pride was not for himself, but the men and women under his command. To him they were more than soldiers--each was a life that could never be replaced.

“Anyway, just think about it. I guess that’s all I can ask of you right now.” Finally, he dropped his hand from her shoulder, and for some reason she felt a brief pang of... loneliness.

_No, that can’t be it._

“It’s hard to change your mind right away, and I’m sure you have a lot of other things to worry about...” For the first time, he seemed to hesitate. Before she knew it, Robin opened her mouth.

“Is there something else, Chrom?”

He looked surprised, then smiled. A bright, real smile. “No, but…”

“But what?”

“Ah, nothing really.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, acting more like a shy schoolboy than Captain of an army of seasoned warriors. It was a side of him Robin hadn’t seen before, and she found it surprisingly endearing.

Almost.

“I think that’s the first time you’ve called me by name. Since we first found you, I mean.”

“Oh… maybe you’re right.” She nodded, thinking hard, and he laughed.

“It’s not a big deal. I’m just relieved, that’s all. Because you know the whole thing about building bonds and trust I was talking about earlier? Well, this could be a step towards that for us.”

Robin furrowed her brow. Then she said slowly, “Are you saying… you want… to be friends? With me?”

He didn’t even hesitate, eyes lighting up as he said, “Yes, I’d like that!”

“You’re an odd duck. Whoever heard of a prince befriending his subordinate…”

His grin was back.

“Did I say something out of place?”

“You laughed.” He sounded delighted.

She was more confused than ever. “I did?”

“Well, it was more like a chuckle. Half a snicker, really.” He shrugged, still looking like he’d received a wonderful gift. “But it’s progress!”

“Is half a snicker really something to act so happy about?” Now she couldn’t quite meet his eyes, and instead turned her gaze to the pages of her book once more.

“In your case, yes, I think it is.” He laughed, too, as if sharing a joke with her. “You haven’t smiled much since you joined up with us. In fact, I think I can count the number of times you’ve done so on one hand.”

“Oh… I apologize?”

He shook his head. “I didn’t say it was bad. It’d be nice if you smiled more, but… I just felt like maybe we’ve grown a little friendlier with each other.”

Robin smiled at him again--intentionally this time. “You truly are hung up on this whole ‘friendship’ idea, aren’t you, Chrom?”

“Better friends than enemies, wouldn’t you say? Or constantly waltzing around each other on eggshells, in our case.” He squinted up at the sky. “The light’s really fading, though. Come sit by the fire with us. At the very least, you’ll actually be able to read your book.”

Robin was about to refuse out of reflex, but had to concede that he had a point. Sighing, she shut her book and stood up with him. “If Your Grace insists.”

“What, I’m back to being ‘Your Grace’?” He looked comically disappointed. “What happened to your good friend Chrom?”

“Are we friends?” She strode off, but there had been no malice in her words. Behind her, she heard him sigh.

“Maybe not right now, I guess. But I hope you’ll learn you can trust me soon.” 


End file.
